The Experiment

by Grant C. Holland

  The Experiment

  Grant C. Holland

  Contents

  Copyright

  1. Jamie

  2. Aaron

  3. Jamie

  4. Aaron

  5. Aaron

  6. Jamie

  7. Aaron

  8. Jamie

  9. Aaron

  10. Aaron

  11. Jamie

  12. Aaron

  13. Jamie

  14. Aaron

  15. Jamie

  16. Jamie

  17. Aaron

  18. Jamie

  19. Aaron

  20. Jamie

  21. Jamie

  22. Aaron

  23. Jamie

  24. Aaron

  25. Jamie

  Epilogue - Aaron

  Also by Grant C. Holland

  The Practice - Catlett’s Cove, Book 1

  By My Side - Catlett’s Cove, Book 2

  Silver Foxes

  About the Author

  Copyright © 2017 by Grant C. Holland

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

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  1

  Jamie

  Jamie Bradley stared out the window of the conference room while he waited for his colleague and close friend Caleb to finish up discussing plans for his next project with Michael, one of the company’s VPs in charge of European operations. He looked out over a sea of centuries-old buildings and narrow streets. Jamie appreciated the opportunity to travel that he owed to his employer. Plenty of other guys his age would kill to have the opportunity. He gazed at the old buildings of Brussels, or was it Antwerp? After awhile, they all just seemed to blend together. He thought to himself that maybe he didn’t appreciate it enough.

  Jamie had an evening of plans with Caleb. They were going out to dinner at a restaurant that his friend discovered on an early morning jog. After that, Jamie promised to go wandering in the old part of the city. Caleb insisted that Jamie needed to see the massive old market square. He stated unequivocally that there was nothing like it in North America. They planned to close out the evening at a nightclub or bar.

  Jamie thought that it would be fun, but it didn’t seem very different from what he would do at home. The scenery was different, and the accents of the people passing by were different, but it was still just dinner and an evening out.

  Jamie turned away from the window to see that Caleb was still knee deep in an animated conversation. He decided to try to focus on a couple that he saw walking down on the street below. It was a man and a woman. They walked side by side and, even though they looked tiny, he could tell that they were talking and laughing. Jamie sighed. He wondered how long it had been since he laughed as he walked down the street with a significant other. It was months since he’d last gone on a real date.

  The couple below stopped at an intersection and turned to look each other in the eye. Now it’s time for the kiss, thought Jamie. He was right. The man turned to his left, and they kissed. Then he wrapped his arms so tight around her that he lifted the woman off the ground. Jamie could almost hear her giggles of delight. He sighed and turned in the direction of Caleb once more.

  “I’ll get right on it as soon as we arrive home,” said Caleb as the conversation with Michael began to wind down. “Maybe I’ll even try and start laying some groundwork while we’re on the plane.” Caleb glanced at Jamie and their eyes met. Caleb smirked as he said, “Jamie sleeps the whole way on the plane, so he’s not much company. I might as well get some work done.”

  Michael left the conference room with Jamie calling, “Have a great evening, Michael! See you tomorrow!”

  Just as the door closed, Caleb asked, “Are you still lagged or what? If you were a kid, I would guess that your pet dog just died a few hours ago.”

  “What?” asked Jamie.

  “You just look mopey,” said Caleb. “Where’s the fun-loving Jamie? The sweet-voiced karaoke Jamie? The Jamie that can charm the pants off any guy in the room?”

  Jamie shrugged. He said, “Maybe he missed the flight over.”

  Caleb threw his arms around his friend’s shoulders. “Then you really need a great night out, and I’m the man to show it to you. Let’s get going. I’ve had enough of office space for the day.”

  * * *

  Jamie and Caleb stopped briefly at their small hotel, and Jamie exchanged his business suit for more casual khakis and a navy blue polo. It was going to be a cool evening, so he grabbed a light jacket, too.

  Caleb looked him up and down from head to foot to share an honest opinion. “Yep, I’d ask you back to my room.” Then he reached out and placed his fingertips in the corners of Jamie’s mouth trying to push them upward into a smile. “And I’d turn that frown upside down. Frowns don’t draw that second look.”

  Jamie laughed. “Yeah, at least you would give it a good try.”

  Caleb tilted his head to the right. “Are you going to make this some European guy’s lucky night?”

  Jamie shook his head. “That’s not in the plans. What about you?”

  Caleb said, “With Donny waiting in the wings at home? I don’t think so.”

  Donny and Caleb went out for drinks the night before the flight to Brussels. They mutually agreed on a first “real” date set for the night after the return flight. Jamie chuckled to himself every time he thought about jet-lagged Caleb falling sound asleep in Donny’s arms.

  Caleb chose a cute little sidewalk cafe for dinner. He said it was less than a five-minute walk from the main market square. Two glasses of wine and a pile of steamed mussels later, Jamie was feeling his body finally begin to unwind, and he was looking forward to mellowing out for the rest of the evening.

  He was fortunate to be Jamie Bradley. He liked his job. He worked for a human resources consulting firm. They started small and local just a decade ago. Now, they had offices in Belgium, France and Germany in addition to the home office where Jamie worked most of the time. He spent his time problem solving, sometimes on a grand scale. Some of the work was repetitive, but when everything fell into place like a well-oiled machine, he knew that he had earned the right to put a little swagger into his walk.

  Jamie’s work was all about thinking up ways to make the world a better place for people in those hours they had to spend performing activities for someone else. Money was never enough incentive for someone to turn in their best work. Jamie’s company was in the business of figuring out what else inspired employees to perform at top levels. Social rewards were often the best tactic. When he was working on a project, Jamie was also careful to try and make sure clients didn’t turn anything around and use his suggested tactics as weapons or methods of punishment.

  Jamie brought home a good-sized paycheck. That meant he could afford to live in a luxury apartment in a glass tower on the edge of downtown. He was slowly collecting pieces of modernist furniture and was attempting to teach himself how to cook like a pro.

  Unfortunately, the right man to share all of the good fortune hadn’t shown up yet. Jamie had a few near misses, but then something just stuck in his head about each one of them and festered like a sore until the relationships ended by the fifth date.

  Looking across the tab
le at Caleb, Jamie said, “I think I have to just go with a salad.” He patted his belly. “I’ve been an expert at avoiding jogging and the gym while we’ve been here, so I need to keep the calorie intake to a minimum, too.”

  Caleb was a big man. He wasn’t fat, but he was tall and had shoulders that belonged under football pads. Jamie asked if he ever played the game, and Caleb said he was recruited but he always said, “No.” He opted to play the trombone instead. His deep voice rumbled as he said, “You’re just a twig, Jamie. Indulge once in awhile. We’re in the land of the world’s best chocolate.”

  Jamie shook his head saying, “I was chubby as a kid. If I let go and just start eating what I want, then I’ll balloon and start to look like my parents. My sister Christy is the only one who is relatively thin like me. I wasn’t blessed with a body frame like yours, Caleb.”

  He grinned and said, “Do you mean the musician trapped in an offensive lineman’s body?”

  Even when Jamie was down, it was difficult to stay that way around Caleb. He walked so lightly on the earth. Caleb took any disappointments in life and rolled with them with grace. The pair met on their first days on the job. They were both recent college graduates and ready to take on the world. The difference was that Caleb was always satisfied with what he had, and he was always willing to follow the rules to get more. Jamie occasionally chafed at boundaries and orders from above. He seemed to always want the things that he didn’t already have. One of those was a man.

  Caleb was talking, and Jamie realized he missed part of what was said. He was too busy wrapped up in his own internal thoughts. Caleb said, “…And then we both decided it wasn’t worth it. It was the conductor from hell and a percussion player who operated as his henchman, his Igor.”

  At the pause, Jamie laughed. He was certain that was an appropriate response. Then he added, “That sucks.”

  “Are you sure you know what I just said?” asked Caleb.

  Jamie smiled and said, “No, I’m not, but you know that I’m always on your side, Caleb.”

  “Aww, that should make me feel all warm and fuzzy, but I am a little annoyed you aren’t listening to me. I don’t just talk to hear my head rattle, you know.” Caleb sliced off a bite of roasted chicken and chewed slowly while he looked across the table into Jamie’s eyes.

  Jamie said, “Okay, to be honest, I’m a little bit distracted. We go home in two days, and then I’ll just be in that apartment by myself again. My mom will call, and she’ll ask if I’ve found Mr. Right yet. I’ll say, ‘No, Mom,’ and then she will suggest all sorts of ways to find him. She’ll say, ‘There’s plenty of eligible men right here in Catlett’s Cove.’”

  “She loves you, Jamie,” said Caleb. “If Donny lasts long enough to tell my parents about him, I’ll get the wide eyes and an, ‘Oh,’ and then no other comment. I don’t even know what that means.”

  * * *

  After dinner, Caleb led the way to a nightclub around the corner from the restaurant. He whispered to Jamie, “This one is a good underground spot according to the site I saw online.”

  As they made their way inside, Jamie blinked his eyes to try and adjust to the dim lighting. His stomach thumped with the bass from the deep house music filling the cavernous space. When his eyes finally adjusted, he realized the clientele was attractive without looking elitist.

  Caleb pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and shouted into Jamie’s ear to be heard over the music. “If we get separated, we’ll meet in an hour near the door. I won’t worry until you’re more than thirty minutes late. If you find the dream guy, then text me.”

  Jamie nodded and then watched as Caleb slowly disappeared into the crowd with his arms thrown in the air. Jamie surveyed the crowd and the DJ hunched over his deck on a small elevated stage. He closed his eyes and moved in time to the music for a few minutes. He was startled by a, “Hello,” at his shoulder.

  Opening his eyes, Jamie saw a man with dark hair, high cheekbones and a tall, slim, elongated body. He had strong, gym-developed pecs, and wiry, muscular biceps poked out from the short sleeves of a T-Shirt. He looked good, and, in response to the one word question, “Dance?,” Jamie happily joined in.

  Eventually the stranger leaned in close and said, “I’m Lucas.”

  Jamie smiled at him and responded, “Jamie.”

  A few short minutes later, Lucas said, “Handsome name for a handsome man.”

  Jamie grinned. He nodded and said, “Thank you.”

  “American?” asked Lucas.

  “Yes. Here on business.”

  Jamie watched a broader smile spread across Lucas’ face. “You like Belgium?” asked Lucas.

  Jamie tried to think of the easiest things to say. He said, “Beautiful country. Great food.” Then he added, “And handsome men.”

  Lucas beamed back at him. Jamie was almost certain that he could have company in his hotel room for the night if he let himself drift down the right road. Lucas danced closer until their chests nearly touched.

  Pointing toward the entrance, Lucas asked, “Outside? Talk?”

  Jamie was on the verge of nodding yes when his usual issues with one-night stands flooded into his head. During his first year out of college and on the new job, Jamie had a string of bed partners. He enjoyed it, but eventually the emptiness caught up. Jamie began to slow down, and finally he convinced himself that he wouldn’t take a man to his bed without some meaning in their relationship.

  Backing up a step, Jamie shook his head, and he said, “No, just want to dance.”

  Lucas continued to dance with him for a few minutes more, and then he disappeared into the crowd the way that Caleb did earlier.

  Jamie pulled the cell phone from his pocket, and he saw that it was only five minutes from his planned meeting time at the entrance to the club. He continued dancing but gradually made his way toward the door. He smiled at a number of other good-looking men on the way there, but he was proud of his principled decision about taking a stranger back to the hotel.

  When he arrived at the entrance, Jamie was surprised to see Caleb already waiting. Jamie asked, “Are you ready to go home for the night?”

  Caleb said, “Definitely!” Then he curled his fingers together to form a heart shape before pulling it apart with a frown.

  “Broken heart in just an hour?” asked Jamie.

  “Just an hour,” said Caleb.

  They were both a little down as they trudged back toward the hotel. “A nightcap?” Jamie asked.

  Jamie and Caleb stopped in at a small neighborhood bar and ordered a beer to close out the night. Caleb said, “I guess I shouldn’t be upset that I got kicked to the curb. Donny’s waiting. I wasn’t wanting to go to bed. I thought I might get lucky and just get a little kiss or maybe a quick grope. Instead, Mr. Handsomer-Than-Thou showed up and I was yesterday’s news after less than thirty minutes.”

  Jamie placed a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. “Donny just might be the real thing, and you’ve got me for company.”

  “That’s not something to be sneezed at,” said Caleb. “Honestly. You’re good company, Jamie.” Then he turned to look Jamie in the eye. “So do you have a plan when we get home.”

  “Plan?”

  Caleb said, “For getting rid of the lonely nights. Do you have a plan for finding him?”

  “Have you ever tried online dating, Caleb? Something about it is still hokey as hell to me even though I read all those statistics about how many guys find their partners that way. I’m not talking hookup sites. We’ve all been through the meat grinder.”

  Caleb laughed. “Speak for yourself.”

  “You’ve never done a hookup site?” asked Jamie.

  Caleb blushed slightly. “Okay, guilty, but I only met two guys that way. I met three on real dating sites. They were nice, but just not my type.”

  “But the site was okay?” asked Jamie.

  Caleb nodded. “Yeah, it’s easy to use. Seriously, there are probably at least three or four that are dece
nt, but I used Men2Date. I had responses right away. The guys were nice mostly.”

  Jamie smiled and said, “I’ll keep that one in mind. Will you help me with my profile?”

  “Sure thing, Jamie. We can start it off with, ‘Morose good-looking guy with a tendency to get distracted while having conversations.’”

  Jamie laughed out loud. “I’m sure that will help me rake in the dates. Seriously, I’m not that bad. I’ll be on good behavior. I always am on first dates. I’m the perfect gentleman.”

  “Perfect yes. Gentleman…well…” said Caleb with a smirk.

  2

  Aaron

  “And so begins the Great Online Dating Experiment of 2017.” Aaron Austin spoke the words out loud. He reasoned that the experiment might not actually feel real if he didn’t speak the words instead of just thinking them. He was even setting up a personal blog to take notes and keep track of his experiences. Of course, the blog was currently set to private and was likely to stay that way. Aaron’s dating misadventures were no one’s business but his own.

  Life was good. In fact, in many ways, it was very good. Aaron loved his job playing Mr. Fix-It for large computer systems and working on new apps in the few free minutes he could grab during the day. He dreamed of creating his own successful game. That would be the day to strike out on his own as a freelancer.

  Aaron couldn’t ask for better friends, but his bed was empty. It had been empty for far too long, and it felt like his friends were all pairing off with long-term partners in love. Aaron admitted to a growing wave of envy.

  It wasn’t like Aaron had a problem getting dates. He was young, mid-20s, and he considered himself cute if not handsome. He was tall, thin, and tried to make it to the gym at least once or twice a month — enough to keep telling himself that he was making some kind of effort.

  Aaron tried online dating before, too, but he was telling himself those experiences were only trial runs, dipping his toes into the pool. His toes attracted some odd and quirky individuals in the past.